Water-purifier and oil-separator.



PATENTED JULY '7, 1908.

M. B. GRESWELL.

WATER PURIFIER AND OIL SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JULY '7. 1908.

M. B. UBESWELL WATER PURIPIER AND OIL SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2:190?

L. SHEETS-SHEET ATTEJT; M Z0.

claims and illustrated by the accompanying MILTON B. GRESWELL, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

WATER-PURIFIER AND OIL-SEPARA'IOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1908.

Application filed July 2, 1907. Serial No. 382,401.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MILTON B. CRnswnLL, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Des Moines, Polk county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful lVater-Puii fier and OilSeparator, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for separating oil and organic matter from water.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for separating oil, organic matter, impurities and undesirable substances from water during the operation of boiling such water.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my drawing in which- Figure 1 is a plan ofthe machine or apparatus employed. Fig. 2'is an end elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite end of the machine. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the machine on the indicated line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the indicated line 5 5 of Fig. 1 Fig. 6 is 2% crosssect-ion on the indicated line 66 of In the construction of the apparatus as shown, the numeral 10 designates a tank preferably rectangular in form and open at its top. A plurality of partitions 11, 12, 13 are mounted in and longitudinally of the tank 10 and subdivide said tank into four equal compartments 14, 15,16, 17. Coils 18, 19 of steam pipe are mounted on or adjacent to the bottoms of the compartments 15, 16 of the tank. End portions of the coils 18, 19 extend through the front wall of the tank and upward above said tank and are joined to a common supply pipe 20 leading from a steam boiler. The risers of the steam coils 18, 19 are provided with cut-off valves 21 and the su ply pipe 20 is provided with a cut-01T= va ve 22. The opposite end portions of the steam coils 18, 19 extend through the rear wall of the tank and are provided with risers 23, 24, extending upward at the rear of the tank. Cut-oil valves 25, 26 are mounted in the upper portions of the risers 23, 24. Bibs or faucets 27, 28 are mounted in the ends of the coils at the lower ends of the risers 23, 24. The upper end portions of the risers 23, 24 are connected to a common pipe 29 leading to a condenser (not shown) and a pipe 30, provided with a valve 31, leads from the connection between said risers into the compartment 16 of the tank. It may be here stated that steam is piped through the coils 18,19 from the boiler for the purpose of heating and boiling water in the compartments 15, 16 and such steam is conducted to the condenser (not shown) and such portion of the steam as may condense in the coils is discharged through the pipe 30 into the tank. A water supply pi e 32 leads from the condenser (not shown and enters near the bottom of the forward end portion of the compartment 16. The pipe 32 extends rearwardly beyond the center of the compartment 1 6 and then branches laterally and turns back through the medium of elbows and discharges approximately at the center of said compartment and immediately above the steam coil 19. A port 33 in the lower rear portion of the partition 12 all'ords communication between the compartments 16 and 15 in order that water may flow from one compartment to the other. Relatively large openings 34, 35 are-provided in the rear end portions of the partitions 11 13 in order that water may [low back and forth-between the compartments 14, 15 and 16, 17. The 0 )e11- ings 34, 35 may be closed when desired by sliding valves or gates 36, 37 mounted on the partitions 11, 13 and adapted for manipulation by handles 38, 39 projecting above said partitions.

Scum leaves 40, 41 are mounted in the forward end portions of the compartment, 15, 16 of the tank 10. Each scum leaf comprises a metal plate positioned at an angle of about forty-live degrees and extending from a horizontal line on the front wall just above the water supply pipe 32 in compartment 16 and the discharge pipe 48 in compartment 15 upward and to the rear as shown in Plate 2, and extending laterally from one wall to the other. A pipe forty-two (42) extends transversely of and below the forward portion of the tank 10 and branches 43, 44 extend upward from said pipe through the bottom of the tank into-the forward portions of the compartments 14, 17. Skimmers 45, 46 are pivoted on the upper end portions of the branches 43, 44 and normally stand upright in compartments 14, 17 Each of the skimmer-s is provided with a funnel mouth on its upper end, the upper margin of which is somewhat below the upper margin of the walls of the tank. The skimmers are pivoted to the branch pipes in order that said skimmers may be turned downward into horizontal positions within the compartments 14, 17, when desired as hereinafter explained. One end portion of the pipe 42 is provided with an elbow 47 adapted for connection with a drain or waste pipe. A discharge pipe 48 opens from the forward end portion of the compartment 15 of the tank and through the front wall thereof and leads to a point of discharge and use of the water purified in the tank. A vent or air pipe 49 communicates with and rises from the discharge pipe 48. A drain pipe 50 communicates between the discharge pipe 48 and the pipe 42 and is controlled by a cutoff valve 51.

' The operation of the apparatus in use is as follows: Water is admitted from a condenser through the pipe 32 to the compartment 16 and is discharged forwardly therein. The

-water flows from the compartment 16 through the port 33 into the compartment 15 and through the ports or openings 34, 35 into the compartments 14, 17. The water is boiled in the compartments 15, 16 by heat radiated from the steam coils 18, 19. The

water boils most violently in the forward portions of the compartments 15, 16 and is expanded and inflated beneath the scum leaves 40, 41 with the result that thelevel of the water is higher in the forward portions of the compartments 15 16 and beneath said scum leaves, As the water boils violently beneath the scum leaves, the particles of oil, organic matter and undesirable substances are separated by the heat and agitation and, being lighter than the water, they flow rearward beneath the scum leaves and float off on the surface of the water through the openings 34, 35 into the compartments 14,17 and thence to the forward portions of said compartments and are skimmed away and led out of said compartments by the skimmers 45, 46 and branches 43, 44 into the pipe 42 and thence to the drain or sewer. Condensation from the steam pipes enters the compartment 16 through the pipe 30 and is subjected to the same treatment as the water entering through the supply pipe 32. The steam exhaust from the pipe 29 into the condenser is condensed and discharged into the tank with other water through the pipe 32.

The water cools rapidly in the compartments 14, 17 of the tank and this cooling causes and creates an aifinity between the particles of oil, paraffin and organic matter that causes them to clot, coagulate and coalesce in the cooler end portions of said compartments and pass off through the skimmers 45, 46. The purified portions of the water are in the bottoms of the compartments 14, 17 and they react through reflex currents and pass back through the lower portions of the openings 34, 35 into the compartments 15, 16. The

purified water is drawn off from the compartment 15 through the discharge pipe 48 and is led to points of use, such as to a storage tank for use in the freezing cans employed in the manufacture of ice. When it is desired to do so, the valves or gates 36, 37 may be positioned andclosed and the compartments 15, 16 be washed out and cleansed without stopping. The compartments 14, 17 may be washed and drained through the skimmers 45, 46 by turning said skimmers into horizontal positions where they will draw all of the water through the branch pipes 43, 44 and pipe 42 into the waste pipe or drain. The compartments 15 16 of the tank may be drained through the pipe 50 by opening the valve 51 into the pipe 42 and thence to the waste pipe or drain.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific means employed as various modifications of the structure and different arrangements of the parts thereof can be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A water purifier and oil separator, comprising a tank formed with compartments,

steam coils in some of said compartments, a.

water pipe discharging in one of said compartments over the steam coil therein, scum leaves in end portions of the compartments containing the steam coils, communication between the compartments, skimmers located in the scum receptacles or compartments not having the steam coils, a drain pipe leading from said skimmers, and means for discharging water from said tank, all substantially as illustrated and described.

2. 'A water purifier and oil separator, comprising a tank divided into communicating compartments, steam coils in the intermediate compartments, scum leaves over said steam coils in the intermediate compartments, means for supplying water to one of the said intermediate compartments, skimmers in the end compartments, drainage means communicating with said skimmers, and means for drawing water from one of the intermediate compartments beneath the scum leaf therein, all substantially as illustrated and described.

3. A water purifier and oil separator, comprising a tank, three partitions longitudinally of said tank, a port in the central partition affording communication therethrough, openings in the end partitions affording communication therethrough, valves for closing said openings, steam coils in the intermediate compartments and leading from a source of steam supply to a condenser, a supply pipe leading from a condenser to one of the inter mediate compartments .and discharging above the steam coils therein, scum leaves in forward end portions of the intermediate compartments, skimmers in the forward end skimmers through the bottom of said tank, communication between the steam coils and one of the intermediate compartments for discharge of condensation therein, a discharge pipe leading from one of the intermediate compartments beneath the scum leaf therein, and communication between ortions of the end compartments, a pipe said discharge pipe and drainage pipe, all 10 eneath the tank communicating with said substantially as illustrated and described. Signed by me at Des Moines, Iowa, this third day of April, 1907.

MILTON B. ORES VVELL.

WVitnesses:

S. 0. SWEET, A. ANDERSON. 

